Garcia could have earned extra $2.5-million

(UPDATE: We've been alerted that there was a slight misinterpretation of some language in Jeff Garcia's complex contract in this blog entry. It has now been updated to reflect the correct interpretation.)

We told you in this morning's paper that quarterback Jeff Garcia failed to reach a playing-time incentive in his contract in part because he sat out the final 1 1/2 games of 2007.

We've now learned that Garcia could have earned an extra $2.5-million on his incentive-laden contract, largely through playing-time incentives. That's in addition to the $5-million Garcia pocketed last year between his $3-million signing bonus and $2-million base salary. Some of Garcia's failure to meet certain playing-time thresholds came as a result of his missing two-plus games with a back injury. But Garcia was on the verge of earning a good chunk of the $2.5-million until he was benched for the final six quarters of the season because the Bucs clinched the NFC South in Week 15. At that point, Garcia was just shy of playing 70 percent of the offensive snaps, which would have triggered a bonus worth a good portion of that $2.5-million. It's worth noting that playing in the final game and a half might have allowed Garcia to trigger other incentives for things such as touchdown passes, yards and the like.

There's a lot more in the contract, but it's far too technical for anyone without a law degree to explain. As for 2008, Garcia will earn $2-million plus a $750,000 roster bonus that's payable if and when he makes the final roster. I imagine he's not real concerned about getting that bonus.

So, when Garcia says he is seeking a new contract, keep in mind that a big motivating factor is the large sum of money he feels he should have earned in 2007.

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